In Conversation with Áine Deane: New era and debut headline tour.

We all needed an advocate for embracing the chaos that is our twenties, and Áine Deane stepped up to the mark. I chatted to the Incredibly authentic 24-year-old last week about her latest EP ‘Tales Of A Twenty Something’. Lyrically the EP is a dizzy-dive into accepting and reflecting on the decisions she has made over the past 4 years. Áine explains how she recognises her mistakes and confronts them in her songwriting, and also shares the invaluable advice she wishes she had received when entering the music industry just 3 short years ago.

Amy:

Hey Áine! When I heard I was going to get to interview you I was so excited, this is gonna be so fun. Thank you so much for joining me! How has Summer been for you?

Áine:

Hey! Yes it's been good. It's been busy, I've been playing at lots of festivals. I'm always grateful that anyone lets me play a festival 'cause they're my favorite things in the world. Also just a lot of writing. Last week was my week off with my family on holiday but summer’s mainly been music!

Amy:

That break was well deserved, you released a couple of tracks this summer?

Áine:

I did, yeah!

Amy:

How was that? How has the fan reception been?

Áine:

It was really good actually. The tracks I've released this year are all on my upcoming EP which comes out...oh my God, it comes out next week. I feel like the whole summer I was like, everything's happening after I go away, so it didn't feel like it was actually going to be happening... but it was really exciting to drip feed a couple of songs and see what the reception would be. The latest song I released - Tales Of A Twenty Something, had such a great reception. I've not had a song that's had that good a reception in quite a while, and I was really lucky it was on lots of new music Friday’s across the world, which again, never happens. I mean, it's cool that people in the UK listen to my music, obviously it's my home - my family, but for people across the world? That's a really crazy thought.

Amy:

Yeah, it must feel so weird, but then again the themes you write about are so universally felt. Everything you put into that song I guarantee is relatable for anyone in their twenties. It's really such a great track. Can you walk me through the process of that song? From the concept to completion, what was the experience like for you?

Áine:

I write everything down in my notes app, which I'm sure most songwriters do. Anything that happens to me that I think could be part of a song. I'd had Tales Of A Twenty Something down in my notes app for ages. Underneath that I'd been writing my daily occurrences and the chaos that I seem to unfortunately find myself in. I had the opening line down for ages, 'I’m kissing pop stars down the side streets', and I knew that's how I wanted to open - I think it's quite funny, it's quite iconic, right?

Sometimes the idea comes to you on the day, but sometimes you've had it for ages and it's just not the right day to write it. I went into the studio with my friend Ollie Fox, who actually is now in Good Neighbors and thriving and touring the world, which is so lovely to see, but a lot of the song's I've released are written with Ollie. He was the first person I ever co-wrote with, so I feel very safe writing music with him. I was obviously in a terrible mood and I was thinking my life is just too chaotic, nothing's going well and this boy doesn't like me, so I think today might be the day I actually write this Tales Of A Twenty Something. I couldn't write that song if I was in a happy mood. It just came out really quickly, and I love it when a song sort of flows. Often some of the best ones I think are written in an hour.

We left that day with the demo which is really rare and a complete credit to Ollie, and then I didn't do anything with the song for ages. I was showing people and ended up taking it to my lovely friends Kingdoms who are amazing producers and writers. I also wrote The Sisterhood with them, which is another song on the EP. I feel very safe giving my music to them because they know exactly what they're doing. They can put up with 900 pages of notes and references and weird obscurities like 'could you make it sparkle more in that bit?'

Amy:

But they get exactly what you mean?

Áine:

Yeah they get it, and it's so nice creating a song with people that I've written with for years. I think that's why it's one of my favourites.

Amy:

It's such a great track and I really think you can tell that you've worked with people that you trust. It's a process of trust that you have to be completely vulnerable with someone when you're writing songs like that. It's obvious you've had that environment to write the song in

Áine:

Ah I'm so glad that comes across! Being in your twenties, it's the trenches at the moment, isn't it?

Amy:

It can be the worst... Have you always been creative? Are there any specific rituals or habits that help you stay focused and inspired to be creative all the time?

Áine:

Yeah definitely, I've always been very creative. I'm from a very loud family. I have two older brothers and we were all put into music and theatre lessons, but were allowed to pick what paths we wanted. That was football for my brothers, and then I went slightly more into the music world, but it wasn't until I was a bit older that I actually think I got okay at it. I was really bad for a really, really long time. I used to sing in this God awful American accent. I have no idea why… I also did a lot of musical theatre when I was younger, and I still love that. I now teach it as a little side hustle! 

I think in terms of rituals, like any songwriter, I go through writer's block so much. Since all my songs are very truthful and very honest, unfortunately that does mean that when there's nothing going on in my life, I'm like, well what on earth do I write about? When things are going right? God forbid! Careers over. I can never fall in love and be happy because then there would be no good songs ever. It almost gives me permission to make some slightly questionable decisions because I know a good song will come out of it.

Amy:

You said you write down all your experiences on your notes, and I think for any one who is creative - writes poetry or writes songs, it can be a form of therapy, can't it? You've had this bad experience, but at least you can feel like you've made something out of it and had that outlet.

Áine:

Oh, one hundred percent. It’s so cathartic. Complete therapy. I mean, I usually go into a studio with people I know, but sometimes people I don't know and I've never met before in my life. You chat for a little bit and then you're just expected to open your heart up and tell them your life story. Then it does become therapy because they ask you questions, or alternatively when I'm working with another artist and I'm writing for them, I'll be asking them. You're trying to get to the root of the problem like a therapist would and then unravel it.

I remember when I went into the studio to write the one before the one, which is also on the EP but came out earlier this year, I was with Ben and Carys who I write with all the time, and I was like, 'so I think my ex is getting engaged, could we work through how I feel about this?'. Sometimes you never expect the song to ever see the light of day, it's just a song that you need to write to get those feelings out and it'll probably stay in the draft forever. I write so many songs every week and you only ever release five or 10 a year max, but sometimes you know you've gotten really deep into the problem and actually the song kind of makes a bit more sense. Yeah, it can be entirely like therapy.

Amy:

You've got quite a lot of experience under your belt now within the music industry. I know you've said that BBC introducing Cambridge have given your songs such a home, and you also recorded a Mahogany session recently, which is absolutely beautiful. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give someone that was just starting out and was going to have to go through everything that you've gone through up until now?

Áine:

Oh gosh. I feel like it's only been three years but I've been through quite a lot. I would say on the actual music side, just write every single day. Write anything. It could be the worst thing in the world, but just write it and finish it and put it away. I really think practice makes perfect. I can't remember what interview it was in that Ed Sheeran said it, but I'm a big fan of him and I remember him saying writing music is like turning on a dirty tap and you've got to wait for all of the bad stuff to come out before the clean water starts running. I think that's so true. You have to write and write and write and write and write until you get a handle on it, and then how to get better and better at it.

In terms of the actual music industry, very much just trust your gut. Make sure you have a good support system behind you because it's a crazy, crazy world. I don't think anyone knows how to actually navigate it. I'm so lucky to have such supportive family and friends behind me who are always a good listening ear or a voice of reason. They know nothing about the music industry at all and yet they're amazing. Those are my two pieces of advice, keep writing, and make sure you have people rooting for you in your corner.

Amy:

I've heard a lot of artists say similar things, you just have to have that backbone of people around you supporting you so you can focus on yourself and not let anyone else get in your head.

Áine:

Totally. I think it would be really difficult to go into the music industry if you didn't have a support system. I know many people do and they do it very well, and I have the utmost respect for them, cause I know I couldn't do it. I'm on the phone to my Mum like all the time!

Amy:

I'd love to talk about your upcoming EP. You described this as an 'anti ‘My Life is a Movie’ soundtrack'. Can you explain a little bit more about what you mean by that? It's a really unique perspective.

Áine:

I didn't mean anything too ethereal by it, just that it was an honest depiction of my life right now. Whenever I start a new project I don't sit down and go, okay I'm gonna write five songs and these are the titles and that's gonna be the project. I write a hundred songs and you know, five good ones might come out of it. At the time I was writing them across a whole year, there were some ups, and there were many downs. Most of the songs that I've picked for the project came from when I was writing in that bit of a down period. I think that although they're not particularly positive songs, they're also not particularly negative songs. They're just all very real and about my life and the relationships that I'm navigating and forming or losing.

It's not romanticised, you can't listen to it with I guess ‘rose tinted headphones’ or however you would phrase it. It is just real. I think a lot of music is so cinematic and beautiful and very much does paint that 'My Life is a Movie' and I do love that kind of music, I listen to it all the time, but this piece is not that. It's just incredibly honest - to a fault actually. I've had a few people text me to be like, so is this about me? Haha.

Amy:

Oh no! I do think fans will relate to the honesty in it. When I'm thinking about my favourite songs, the tracks that I listen to the most are the ones that are really raw and open that make you think 'I feel exactly the same as this, but I didn't think anyone else did.' Someone out there is also going through the exact same thing. Can you tell us how many tracks are on this EP?

Áine:

Yeah, it's five tracks. Three of them are out already, and I've just started to tease the last track on the EP which is called 1/4 and it's about my Mum. It's one of the only tracks that I've released that isn't about a breakup, or a boy and it sort of ends the whole project. It's a very, very special song to me. Then there's another track called New Normal, which shockingly… is about a boy.

Amy:

Do you have a favourite track? Obviously 1/4 sounds really special to you, but could you place one at the top?

Áine:

I think it would be Tales Of A Twenty Something, just because as soon as I'd written that song I knew that it was gonna be the name of my next project. Literally that evening I came back to my flat I lived in with my best friend and I was like, ‘I've got the name’. Until you have a framework, you just have a lot of songs and some songs don't go well with each other. 1/4 really does have a special place in my heart, but that might be because it's unreleased and I am known to hate my songs once I release them. So yeah, those two are really special.

Amy:

You're heading on tour in October as well! A debut headline tour, is that right?

Áine:

Debut headline tour! Which is SO nerve wracking. It's in October and starts on the 25th, ends on Halloween, which is very exciting 'cause I actually personally hate Halloween, it’s my least favourite holiday so at least I'm doing something more fun on it. I'm the definition of an independent artist, you know, I don't have a label, don't have a manager, so my Mum and Dad are coming, which will be great. Every 24 year old's dream is to take their parents to work… No, they're so cute and they're gonna help with the merch and everything, and my band is coming, so it's gonna be very fun. I'm very nervous, but I'm very excited.

Amy:

Is there any part you are looking forward to the most? Meeting the fans? Or your parents watching you up there on stage? That's got to be a really special moment surely?

Áine:

My parents come to every gig. Bless them, they're the best supporters you could ever have but I think they've seen me enough times. This will be special though as I've only done headline shows in London before, and I'm just excited to have a week where I get to be on stage and sing my songs and meet lovely people. We're gonna do a little book swap in the VIP shows, which I think will be so fun and a good way to get to know everyone. I just can't believe that it's happening, I think it's hilarious.

Amy:

I'm gonna have to come to your London show!

Áine:

Yeah, absolutely, come on down. It'll be so fun.

Amy:

Lastly, what is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?

Áine:

Oh I'm a very open book…

Amy:

I've put you on the spot here sorry!

Áine:

Oh my God, no I love a random question... Hmm I've never broken a bone, and I'm quite a clumsy person, so I think that's probably surprising.

Amy:

That's pretty good going so far, I mean, let's touch wood now.

Áine:

I really hope so. Yeah my go-to random fact when I was a kid was that I loved Busted and I thought that made me edgy. It didn't make me edgy…

Amy:

Well Áine, I want to thank you so much for chatting with me, and I wish you the best of luck for the tour and for the release of this EP. It's going to be wicked.

Áine:

Thank you so much and yes, please do come down to the London show!

Amy:

Yeah, I'll definitely be there!

Áine:

Gorgeous. Thank you so much Amy!